When planning to travel, would-be vacationers must make a host of decisions. Where to go, how to get there and where to stay tend to garner the bulk of travelers' attention. However, consumers also should pay ample attention to how to protect their travel investments in the event they cannot make the trip due to illness, injury or some other unforeseen consequence.

When researching how to protect themselves while traveling, consumers may discover a host of options. Trip insurance and travel insurance are two seemingly similar options that even veteran travelers may not fully understand. Each option may appear to be the same thing, but there are some notable differences between the two.

Trip insurance

According to Depart SmartTM, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping students travel abroad safely, trip insurance protects travelers from financial loss due to trip-related issues. Trip cancellations, interruptions or delays may be covered by trip insurance, which is designed to protect the purchases travelers make.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance protects people, not the purchases those people make. Depart SmartTM notes that travel insurance is often utilized to cover health-related expenses travelers encounter when visiting countries overseas. A travel insurance policy may be used to cover treatments for sickness, injuries or emergencies in foreign countries.

No two trip insurance or travel insurance policies are the same. As a result, would-be travelers should make sure they fully understand a policy, including what it covers and how much it costs, prior to purchasing it.